TCU on film: Expect an aggressive defense and a couple of playmakers
TCU is No. 1 in rushing defense and No. 2 in passing defense in the Big 12, but that is a staple of Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs.
In 2019, TCU is the No. 3 team in the Big 12 in rushing offense, behind undefeated Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, both of have Heisman Trophy candidates in their backfields.
Here is what to expect Saturday when Kansas State hosts the Horned Frogs.
Same old defense
For years, the Big 12 was considered to play no defense, minus TCU.
As the league’s defenses have grown stronger in recent years, TCU has used the same schemes and brought the same blitz packages.
TCU has allowed the fewest first downs in the conference but has accumulated the second-most penalties. They can be gashed for the big play downfield because of their aggressiveness, but a poor throw will be punished.
TCU’s sack leader is junior linebacker Garret Wallow. He is outstanding on delayed blitzes and flies through the offensive line as if it never sees him coming.
He has 2.5 sacks this season. All have come in long-yardage situations.
Good running back, better receiver
Senior running back Darius Anderson and junior reciever Jalen Reagor have played in 70 games combined for TCU.
They have scored 39 combined touchdowns. They have 2,406 career rushing yards and 2,006 receiving.
They are TCU’s most explosive players and the most likely candidates to find the end zone for the Horned Frogs on Saturday.
Anderson is a classic TCU back. He has a nice blend of speed and power, but his balance is his most impressive attribute.
Against SMU, he was hit one yard across the line of scrimmage on a first-and-10 play. He spun off the defender’s shoulder, ripped through an arm tackle, bounced it outside and ran 80 yards.
Anderson has 532 rushing yards this season, the most of any player in the Big 12 with only five games.
When defenses crash the box to Anderson, TCU has an electric receiver to find.
Reagor was second-team All-Big 12 last year and was voted his team’s MVP. He is lightning in a bottle.
With other outstanding receivers in the Big 12 like OSU’s Tylan Wallace or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, Reagor has taken a backseat in the spotlight, but he draws the secondary’s attention.
And when TCU needs a play in the red zone, they call No. 1.
What to expect from Delton
Alex Delton went to TCU as a graduate transfer from K-State this season, but he hasn’t seen a spike in production.
Delton was named the starting quarterback for TCU’s season opener against Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Since then, it has been true freshman Max Duggan.
Delton has gotten a couple of snaps throughout the meat of every game and most of them in garbage time.
He has completed 25 passes in 48 attempts for 312 yards, with one interception and no touchdowns.
He has run for 100 yards on 17 attempts without a score. His biggest contribution came in Week 1 when he broke free for 54 yards.